Mandolin attachment for pianos.



PATENTE MAY 5;,'1,9oa.

r. L. BARNARD. MANDOLIN ATTAGHMBNTPOR MANOS.

APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 21, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATESr Patented May 5, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

'MANDOLINATTACHMENT FOR` PIANos.

SPECIFICATON 'Ormngpart of Letters Patent No. 727,261, dated May 5,` 1903. Appnmnqn tied rune 21, 1902.l Striano. 112,637. (No man.)

This invention relates to an attachment for' upright pianos whereby the effect of a mandolin or like instrument may be obtained.

The invention has for its object to provide an attachment of the character specified which is simple, inexpensive, and highly efcient for the purpose specified and which can be applied in a minimum time and at a minimum expense to any style or make of upright piano. For this purpose I employ a: plurality of pendants of rubber, felt, or otherV suitable material having metallic' surfaces which are adapted to be brought into contact With the usual strings or scale-Wires of the piano and connect the said pendants attheir' upper end in such manner as Will permit them to be moved laterally with relation to one another, so that the individual pendants may be adjusted to the scale-wires of the particular make of piano. The adjustability of the pendants may be accomplished by connecting the individual pendants to a band or strip of elastic material, such as rubber, which can be stretched in a direction substantially at right angles to the pendants in order to bring the individual pendants into line with the particular wire or Wires with which it is desired to cooperate. The elastic band may be cemented, tacked, or otherwise secured to the damper bar or rail now commonly employed in pianos and which is operatedv by the footpedal in a piano having three pedals, or the said bar may be operated by' hand, as will be described. The damper bar orrail is normally elevated, so as to withdraw the pendants out of the path of movement of the hammers, but is adapted to be lowered by means of the foot or by hand, so as to bring the pendants into line with the hammers, to be forced thereby against the strings or scalewires when a key is depressed. These and other features of this invention will be pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure l is a perspective View, with parts broken away, of an upright piano provided with a mandolin attachment embodying this invention; Fig. 2, a detail in elevation to be referred to; Fig.l 3, a detail in section to be referred to 5 Fig. 4, a detail of the attachment, showing the pendants in their Vnormal position; Figs. 5 and 6, sectional views of modifications to be referred to; and Figs. 7and 8, modifications of the attachment to be referred to.`

Referring to Figs. l to 4, inclusive, a represents an upright piano of any suitable or desired make. The piano Ct is provided with the usual strings or scale-wires b, which are runin an upright direction at various angles, according to the particular style or make of piano. The scale-wires bin accordance with this invention have cooperating with them an attachment or device with which the effects of a mandolin or like stringed instrument may be obtained, and this attachment or device may and preferably'will be mad'eias herein shown, it consisting ofi-a plurality of pendants c, of rubber, felt, or vother suitable material, which are secured to a strip or band d., of rubber or other suitable elastic material. In Figs. l to 4, inclusive, the pendants c are represented as made lin one piece with the strip or band d, which may be accomplished by taking a piece of rubber of the desired Width and cutting or dying out portions of the said piece to form the pendants. The pendants have attached to them near their lower end metallic pieces, buttons, or heads e, which are designed to be broughtlinto contact with the scale-Wireswhen the mandolin eect is to be obtained. The rubber strip or banded is cemented, tacked, or otherwise attached to a support, which may be the damper-bar f, usually employed in three-pedal pianos. The barf may be supported at its opposite ends by suitable levers g, pivoted to .the sides of the piano case or frame, and which are suitably connected with a pedal 72, ina manner Well understood and now commonly employed in this class of pianos. In upright pianos the strings or scale-Wires b are arranged or run in various Ways, according to the particular IOO style or make of piano; but by means of the band or strip d being elastic a workman can adjust each pendant in proper position with relation to the wire or wires with which the particular pendant cooperates, and it can readily be seen that this adjustment can be effected in a minimum time and with a minimum amount ot' labor, as the pendants are attached to the band or strip and require no handling, thereby leaving the operator free to stretch the band or not, as the occasion demands, and to tack or cement it to the barf at the proper place.

In Fig. 4 the device or attachment is shown in its detached condition, in which it will be noticed that the pendants are separated substantially equal distances apart.

-In Fig. 2 I have represented the device as applied in Operative position, and by an inspection of said gu re it will be seen that the third pendant from the left is separated by a substantially wide space from the second pendantand by a narrower space from the fourth pendant and that by so spacing the pendants the metallic heads or buttons are arranged in proper relation to the particular scale-wires with which they cooperate.

Normally the barfand the attachment or device secured thereto are elevated above the path of movement of the hammers t; but when the mandolin eiect is desired the attachment is lowered into substantially the position shown in Fig. 3, so that the metal portions or heads e are below the path of movement of the hammers, which strike against the pendants above the metal heads.

In pianos provided with only two pedals the attachment-support may be raised and lowered by hand, which may be effected as shown in Fig. 5 or as shown in Fig. 6. In Fig. 5 the lever gis normally held elevated by a springj and may be turned on its pivot to lower the attachment bya cord or chain 7c, extended outside of the piano-casing and secured by a pin or projection Z. In Fig. 6 the lever g is turned against the action of the spring j by pulling out a rod m, extended through the piano-casing and attached to one arm of an elbow-lever n, having its other arm connected by a link o with the lever g.

The pendants c, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, are made in one piece with the elastic band or strip d; but I do not desire to limit my invention in this respect, as the pendants may be made separate from the band d and cemented or otherwise secured to the said band, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8. In this case the pendants may be made of felt, leather, or other suitable material. By having the pendants attached to the elastic band the band may be inclined at certain portions of its length, if required, in order to conform to the position of the hammers in relation to the scale-wires. The damper bar or railfis now commonly found in nearly every threepedal piano, and in pianos not having a damper bar or rail the latter can be easily supplied.

I claiml. The combination with an upright piano having scale-wires and a damper-bar movable with relation to said wires, of a mandolin attachment secured to said dam per-bar and consisting of a plurality of pendants having metallic portions adapted to make contact with said wires, and an elastic medium extended substantially at right angles to said pendants and connecting them together, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. A mandolin attachment for upright pianos, consisting of a strip or band of elastic material and plurality ot' pendants firmly secured at one end to said strip or hand intermediate of the ends ot' the same and eX- tended substantially at right angles thereto, and metallic portions secured to said pendants near their free end, substantially as described.

3. A mandolin attachment for upright pianos, consisting of a strip or band of rubber or like elastic material, and a plurality of pendants of rubber or like elastic material integral with said strip or band and having metallic pieces secured to them, substantially as described.

4. A mandolin attachment for upright pianos, consisting of a strip or band o' elastic material and a plurality of pendants firmly secured at one end to said strip or band intermediate of the ends of the same and eX- tended substantially at right angles thereto, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK L. BARNARD Witnesses:

JAS. H. CHURCHILL, J. MURPHY.

IOC 

